Post by caonedh on Mar 25, 2013 23:04:50 GMT -8
Ken Loper carefully placed the book on top of his folded clothes before zipping his suitcase. He wasn't used to packing so heavily; for most trips he followed a simple mantra; clothes go in, clothes come out, and don't forget your toothbrush. But Egypt tended to be a rather warm place, even in March. Thankfully he recieved a generous stipend from his employers; he had been able to buy clothes for the trip without worrying how he'd make rent that month. Indeed, financially, he'd never been better off. Most of his money was going into the bank, for a down payment on the house they'd always dreamed of. He was actually rather fond of their little apartment...well, except for having to share a bathroom. And that cut in the floor. The carpets had been changed; he had lost a lot of blood, even if the bees had prevented him from dying. However, he could feel the dimple in the floor beneath as sure as he could feel the dimple in his chest, and on his back. He was sure he would carry the scar of that for the rest of his days. The bees had left it for a reason; other wounds he had gotten had healed as if they had never been. He supposed he could ask them...but he was afraid of the bees. First off, they spoke in his mind, and he was wary of voices in his mind. Secondly...they're fucking BEES. Bastards sting like a mother.
With a sigh, he went around to the kitchen to stir dinner. He was making a chicken dish tonight; the first time he had made it, the website had called it a Korma. In reality, it was more of an Indian style Jambalaya, with tomatoes and rice and a good portion of coriander, cardamon, curry, cinnamon....the things you'd expect. She really liked it....so maybe she would be willing to talk to him when he got home.
He heard the door open, heard her give her customary shake as she took her shoes off at the door. "Dinner's in about ten minutes," he called. "Damn rice is taking forever to cook."
"It usually does," she replied as she came around the corner. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then threw her coat into the living room chair and plopped onto the couch. She was wearing the purple scrubs today; a good sign. When she was in a bad mood, she'd always wear the grey scrub pants with the dark blue top. Her red hair had gone more auburn in recent years, but he still enjoyed the sight of it splayed out onto the couch as she lay down. "I am SO glad I have a day off tomorrow. If I have to put up with stupid interns again...."
"Cripes, they've only got a few months left on their internship," said Ken, as he dug the cardamon pods out of the sauce.
"Yeah, well, they're still stupid. Had a lady who had a GI tube, they took it out, but then she vomited her clear diet meal. So we had to put it back, but she wouldn't let us. We tell the intern, and what does he say? 'Come at it from another angle.' Really? Cuz I can only think of one other angle, and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't do us much good, genious."
Ken chuckled; he was used to conversations like this. No names, but plenty of gory details. "Sorry you had a rough day, Jess. You have time to shower before dinner if you want, or you can lounge."
Jess sat up on the edge of the couch, staring down at the floor. "So, are you packed?"
Ken took a deep breath. "Yeah. Suitcase is on the bed at the moment; was kinda packing and cooking at the same time."
"Don't burn the house down," she said quietly. "Where are they sending you again?"
"Egypt," he replied, digging a clove out of the sauce. That was the tenth and final one, so he added the rice to the sauce. "They're setting up a communication hub in a place called El Marayah. It's in central Egypt, which is a different sub culture entirely from the people who live closer to the Nile proper. But there is Oil out there, so the people are there, too. Least that's what they tell me."
"Sounds important. They trust you with this already?"
"They must."
Jess got up off the couch and came back into the kitchen, putting her arms around him. "Ken. Talk to me. What's really going on?"
What was really going on was the chance of a lifetime. After doing some odd jobs for the Kingdom, they had finally come through on payment; a chance to enter the second tomb of Amenhotep II. He had been reburied in that tomb with many other Pharoahs almost 500 years after his death, to protect them from grave robbers. But the positioning of those temples had been important to them reaching the afterlife....so Ken had a theory that somewhere in that tomb would be directions to the site of the original burial place. It was there, he felt, that he would finally find what he had been looking for; evidence for the event that had spurred the Aten cult into existance.
But he couldn't tell her that. "I'm telling you what's going on. It's not my fault if you don't believe me."
She backed away, and he looked at her. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "You know, it was hard, with you out of work for so long.... but at least then you never lied to me. What is happening to you?"
Maybe she's the problem....
"Maybe the problem is you, did you ever think of that?" he snapped, turning off the range. "You've decided I'm lying about something, and you won't quit until you're proven right."
"I'm convinced you're lying about something because you're lying about something!" she yelled back. "I've known you for a decade. I know when you're holding things back. Are you doing something illegal or something?"
What we do is our own business....
"What I do, my dear, is finally bring in enough money for us to have a shot at our dreams," he replied. "And no, it's not illegal. It's just high paid. But nooooo, you can't imagine that I could be valued highly enough by someone that they'd pay me this money. Not, of course, unless it was illegal." He turned that last word into a drawn out whine.
"That's not what I said at all!"
It's better if she leaves...
"No, it's just what you implied. You know, maybe you should see if Cori and her husband want to do dinner. I mean, I made this food for you, but who knows, I could have done something illegal to do it. The secret? Whole Cloves and Crystal Meth!" With that, he slammed the stirring spoon into the sink and went into the office, slamming the door behind him.
He sat down at his desk, his breath racing. He felt incredibly angry.... but not at his wife. No, he was angry at himself. The voices were getting stronger. The bees, yes, but the other voices, too. And he had let them goad him into a fight with his wife. He got up to apologize, and heard the front door close. He looked around, but didn't see Jessi around anywhere. He heaved a long sigh, and then went to get the suitcase off the bed. He then went back into the living room and had dinner by himself. An hour went by, then two. He crawled into bed and fell into a fitful sleep. When morning came, she still wasn't home. He reached for his phone to text her....but then drew his hand back. He then grabbed his bag and walked out the door, locking it behind him.
((Since I'll be going out of town for a bit over a week, figured there should be an OOC reason Ken is gone. Have fun, all!))
With a sigh, he went around to the kitchen to stir dinner. He was making a chicken dish tonight; the first time he had made it, the website had called it a Korma. In reality, it was more of an Indian style Jambalaya, with tomatoes and rice and a good portion of coriander, cardamon, curry, cinnamon....the things you'd expect. She really liked it....so maybe she would be willing to talk to him when he got home.
He heard the door open, heard her give her customary shake as she took her shoes off at the door. "Dinner's in about ten minutes," he called. "Damn rice is taking forever to cook."
"It usually does," she replied as she came around the corner. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then threw her coat into the living room chair and plopped onto the couch. She was wearing the purple scrubs today; a good sign. When she was in a bad mood, she'd always wear the grey scrub pants with the dark blue top. Her red hair had gone more auburn in recent years, but he still enjoyed the sight of it splayed out onto the couch as she lay down. "I am SO glad I have a day off tomorrow. If I have to put up with stupid interns again...."
"Cripes, they've only got a few months left on their internship," said Ken, as he dug the cardamon pods out of the sauce.
"Yeah, well, they're still stupid. Had a lady who had a GI tube, they took it out, but then she vomited her clear diet meal. So we had to put it back, but she wouldn't let us. We tell the intern, and what does he say? 'Come at it from another angle.' Really? Cuz I can only think of one other angle, and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't do us much good, genious."
Ken chuckled; he was used to conversations like this. No names, but plenty of gory details. "Sorry you had a rough day, Jess. You have time to shower before dinner if you want, or you can lounge."
Jess sat up on the edge of the couch, staring down at the floor. "So, are you packed?"
Ken took a deep breath. "Yeah. Suitcase is on the bed at the moment; was kinda packing and cooking at the same time."
"Don't burn the house down," she said quietly. "Where are they sending you again?"
"Egypt," he replied, digging a clove out of the sauce. That was the tenth and final one, so he added the rice to the sauce. "They're setting up a communication hub in a place called El Marayah. It's in central Egypt, which is a different sub culture entirely from the people who live closer to the Nile proper. But there is Oil out there, so the people are there, too. Least that's what they tell me."
"Sounds important. They trust you with this already?"
"They must."
Jess got up off the couch and came back into the kitchen, putting her arms around him. "Ken. Talk to me. What's really going on?"
What was really going on was the chance of a lifetime. After doing some odd jobs for the Kingdom, they had finally come through on payment; a chance to enter the second tomb of Amenhotep II. He had been reburied in that tomb with many other Pharoahs almost 500 years after his death, to protect them from grave robbers. But the positioning of those temples had been important to them reaching the afterlife....so Ken had a theory that somewhere in that tomb would be directions to the site of the original burial place. It was there, he felt, that he would finally find what he had been looking for; evidence for the event that had spurred the Aten cult into existance.
But he couldn't tell her that. "I'm telling you what's going on. It's not my fault if you don't believe me."
She backed away, and he looked at her. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "You know, it was hard, with you out of work for so long.... but at least then you never lied to me. What is happening to you?"
Maybe she's the problem....
"Maybe the problem is you, did you ever think of that?" he snapped, turning off the range. "You've decided I'm lying about something, and you won't quit until you're proven right."
"I'm convinced you're lying about something because you're lying about something!" she yelled back. "I've known you for a decade. I know when you're holding things back. Are you doing something illegal or something?"
What we do is our own business....
"What I do, my dear, is finally bring in enough money for us to have a shot at our dreams," he replied. "And no, it's not illegal. It's just high paid. But nooooo, you can't imagine that I could be valued highly enough by someone that they'd pay me this money. Not, of course, unless it was illegal." He turned that last word into a drawn out whine.
"That's not what I said at all!"
It's better if she leaves...
"No, it's just what you implied. You know, maybe you should see if Cori and her husband want to do dinner. I mean, I made this food for you, but who knows, I could have done something illegal to do it. The secret? Whole Cloves and Crystal Meth!" With that, he slammed the stirring spoon into the sink and went into the office, slamming the door behind him.
He sat down at his desk, his breath racing. He felt incredibly angry.... but not at his wife. No, he was angry at himself. The voices were getting stronger. The bees, yes, but the other voices, too. And he had let them goad him into a fight with his wife. He got up to apologize, and heard the front door close. He looked around, but didn't see Jessi around anywhere. He heaved a long sigh, and then went to get the suitcase off the bed. He then went back into the living room and had dinner by himself. An hour went by, then two. He crawled into bed and fell into a fitful sleep. When morning came, she still wasn't home. He reached for his phone to text her....but then drew his hand back. He then grabbed his bag and walked out the door, locking it behind him.
((Since I'll be going out of town for a bit over a week, figured there should be an OOC reason Ken is gone. Have fun, all!))